In this bylined article for the Los Angeles / San Francisco Daily Journal, Shay Aaron Gilmore provides his annual review of the cannabis laws enacted during California’s 2026 legislative session. Continuing his series of annual legislative reviews for the Daily Journal, the article walks through each enacted measure, explains what it changes, and identifies when it takes effect. Drawing on the chaptered text, the Assembly and Senate bill analyses, and Governor Newsom’s signing and veto statements, Gilmore shows that this year’s legislation tightens the rules for packaging, beverages and testing while refining the hemp-cannabinoid framework adopted in 2025. Most of the changes take effect on January 1, 2027, or later.
The article begins with AB 2249, which revises packaging and advertising requirements. Beginning January 1, 2028, “attractive to children” will mean designed or likely to appeal to individuals under 21, with specified indicators. The law limits cartoon and overly stylized fruit imagery on edible and vape labels while still permitting realistic fruit depictions, and it directs the Department of Cannabis Control to develop compliance-assessment resources.
Gilmore then covers AB 2532, which requires the national Poison Help telephone number on edible and beverage labels and, beginning July 1, 2027, new serving disclosures, serving lines and free measuring devices for multi-serving cannabis beverages. The 10-milligram THC per-serving limit stays in place. He also explains AB 1965, which requires retailers to provide certificates of analysis on request, allows the Department to conduct off-the-shelf testing and laboratory proficiency testing, and permits limited retesting of out-of-specification results.
On hemp, AB 2250 amends last year’s AB 8 framework. Beginning January 1, 2028, qualifying CBN isolate is excluded from “cannabis concentrate,” and the law revises cannabinoid-product presumptions, seizure provisions, tobacco-business restrictions and supply-chain tracking. AB 2667 prohibits disguised vapes and vapes with video-game features, and creates a disposal pathway for schools handling confiscated devices.
The article also addresses enforcement, including AB 2001’s expanded criminal-history access for city attorneys and county counsel pursuing illegal cannabis sales or cultivation, and the Governor’s veto of SB 1272. It closes with the proposals that stopped in the Legislature, including bills on recalls and embargoes, risk-based enforcement, tribal-state cannabis agreements and cannabis drive-throughs.
For operators, the practical message is lead time. Packaging and label redesigns, beverage container changes, retailer certificate-of-analysis procedures and hemp-product classification all work best when they are planned in advance. The article reflects Gilmore’s regulatory compliance practice and his ongoing analysis of California cannabis and hemp legislation.